New Year’s is a time for looking back and most importantly a time for looking ahead. It’s a time for thinking about the changes we want or need to make so that we can live better and healthier. It’s a time when many look to getting rid of those bad habits and making ourselves a better person.
Yet year after year thousands of people make New Year’s resolutions only to break them time and again. In fact, according to study done by the University of Scranton in the Journal of Clinical Psychology out of the 45% of Americans who usually make New Year’s resolutions, only 8% of them will succeed! Why? Well, there are several reasons people have such a hard time keeping these resolutions, the most common being:
- We make too many resolutions.
- We make our resolutions too vague.
- We make our resolutions too difficult.
So how can we be successful in keeping our resolutions? Check out these suggestions below.
Short and Simple
First of all, keep your list of resolutions short and simple. Instead of creating this long list of 20 goals, select 1 to 3 small, attainable goals that are most important to you, and concentrate on those alone. Make sure the goals are tangible, within reach and not overly ambitious.
Make Specific Goals and Have a Plan
When you create your list of goals, be sure you break each one down into more specific steps instead of just setting that one vague goal. Say for example your overall goal is to be healthier. While that is a great goal to have, it’s also very vague. Break that down into smaller, more specific steps or actions you will take in order to reach that overall goal. For example: start off with a smaller goal such as ‘drink more water instead of soda’. Once you reach that goal, mark it off the list and move on to the next mini-goal such as ‘take a 20 minute walk daily’. And so on. Not only will this make it easier to reach that overall goal, but marking off those mini-goals as you reach them is a great way to see your progress and give yourself encouragement!
Create A Support System
Create a social support system by sharing your resolutions with family and friends. Ask them to help you reach those goals by providing encouragement, positive reinforcement and help when needed. If you and a friend or family member share a common goal such as losing weight, work as a team on that goal by taking walks together, or going to the gym together. Be there to cheer each other on! Also, if you are comfortable with the idea, consider posting your goals on your Facebook page for even more social support. If you have a blog, consider posting regular updates on your progress and turn it into a series for your reader to follow along! Who knows how many others you may inspire to keep their own resolutions! Not to mention an audience can be a great motivator!
Change Self-Defeating Habits
Another reason people fail at keeping their resolutions is that they are not willing to change the habits that mess them up. If your goal is to exercise more, but your habit is to come home after work and watch an hour of television sitting on the couch, you may need to break that habit and sacrifice that leisure time and change it into your exercise time.
Forgive Yourself
Our “all or nothing” thinking when it comes to New Year’s resolutions also causes many of us to fail. The majority of people look at their resolutions in two categories: keeping them or breaking When you hold yourself to this level of perfection, and you have a slip-up, it leads to a snowball-type effect where a minor mistake becomes a major relapse and eventually leads to totally giving up on the resolution. So change your way of thinking. Don’t be afraid of slipping up. We all make mistakes, we all get off track, we are only human! Don’t shame or guilt trip yourself, either – it’s self-defeating. Realize that it is okay that you made a mistake, and it does not mean in any terms that you failed at that resolution. If (or when) this happens, instead of giving up, pick yourself up and continue on!
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